


Trapped

by IRegretNothingAndEverything



Series: HLVRAI Wing AU [1]
Category: Half Life VR But The AI Is Self Aware
Genre: Canon amputation, Hurt/Comfort, Panic Attack, Wing AU, gordon is not having fun in this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-11
Updated: 2020-08-12
Packaged: 2021-03-06 11:35:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,234
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25848904
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IRegretNothingAndEverything/pseuds/IRegretNothingAndEverything
Summary: The HEV suit is a trap, holding his wings in a box he can't get out of. It's worse when everyone around him can get into the air and don't seem to realize that Gordon is in pain.
Series: HLVRAI Wing AU [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1877710
Comments: 9
Kudos: 192





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> We were talking about my boyf's Wing AU (He doesn't have an archive, but is tumblr is e-benrey (yes our tumblr urls match we're gay as shit, mine is e-bubby)) and started talking about the angst of it all, and he wanted this.

The HEV suit was not designed for comfort. It was only meant to be worn for a couple hours at a time. The box on the back was small and cramped, but slightly padded for one’s wings. Still, even after the few hours it was meant to be worn, it was nice to stretch one’s wings. 

Gordon had been in the suit for nearly three days now. He hadn’t been able to move his wings the entire time. The others didn’t seem to notice, soaring through the taller rooms to stretch out their wings, and Gordon stared from the floor, jealous and in pain, ignoring it. He moved quickly through these rooms, ignoring the complaints when they came. 

None of them seemed to realize his wings were trapped, twitching on occasion as he thought through every possible way to get his wings out, to stretch, and be free. 

Bubby and Benrey were the worst. Sure, Coomer would talk on the HEV suit sometimes, tell them how it worked, how it held the wings, and Tommy would pipe up with ideas that he had, but Benrey would joke about how Gordon was land bound, and Bubby would be the last to come down, snarking towards Gordon about being locked down in Black Mesa, never seeing the sky, and Gordon just let it happen 

When they lay down to sleep in the hole after he lost his arm, Gordon couldn’t handle it much longer. The others had flown up to this roof, but Gordon had to find a way to climb up. It didn’t seem like any of them cared that he was stuck, and down an arm, and couldn’t even get into the air. It hurt

His wings hurt

God, it felt wrong, they hadn’t moved this entire time. It hurt, it hurt so bad, everything was wrong and broken, and he started breathing heavily, trying to calm down his panic attack, as he tried to keep his heart rate down, but it wouldn’t work, and it just made his panic rise. 

“Gordon?” His head snapped towards Coomer, who was frowning at him, obviously worried. Gordon closed his eyes tightly, shaking his head slightly. He felt his blood drip down the side of his head. “Gordon, what’s wrong?” 

Gordon didn’t reply, chest heaving against the metal of the HEV suit, trying to breathe, trying to get his air quicker, trying to breathe, but it hurt. He shifted, trying to get his wings to move, but they barely shifted, and he cried out, far louder than he had meant to. His hand shifted, covering his mouth quickly. 

“Gordon!” Coomer went over, one arm wrapping around him. Gordon whimpered, curled up against his chest, sobbing. 

“Can’t, Can’t get out, can’t get out of it, hurt, it hurts Coomer, it hurts so bad-” Gordon sobbed incoherently into his chest, and Coomer frowned, looking up towards the others, who had woken up. 

“Dr. Coomer... his wings.” Tommy said softly, moving over towards them, one hand coming to the box on the back, where Gordon’s wings had been locked the entire time he’d been in the HEV suit. The group collectively looked towards the box, wings twitching as they tried to imagine what it was like. 

Gordon still couldn’t breathe, chest heaving, tears blurring his vision. It helped, a bit, with Coomer’s hand in his hair, trying to keep him calm. He heard soft singing, and began to relax further when he heard it. The pain in his arm slowly began to disappear, but his back, his wings, it hurt. The color lighting up around him didn’t matter either, but it helped calm him down. 

It wasn’t enough, though, as Gordon felt like he couldn’t get enough air, and, eventually, he passed out, tears streaking down his face. 

The group gathered around him, Coomer still holding Gordon tightly. The sweet voice was floating around them, concentrated around Gordon’s stump. Tommy glanced towards Benrey, and then Bubby. 

“Can we get this... this extra bit off?” He asked softly, tapping the box that held the wings. “It won’t help perfectly, but his wings would be able to stretch out a bit...” 

Bubby frowned at it a moment, before glancing around, finding a few pieces of metal that could be used as crowbars, as Benrey and Tommy began to search for a seam along box, determined to help Gordon out of his prison.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh, here's a chapter two, it's basically Tommy going OFF

Gordon woke up propped up against the wall on his side. He opened his eyes slowly, not remembering falling asleep, but remembering begging Coomer to make the pain stop. He shifted, curling into a ball, shaking his head. God, that’s embarrassing. He wondered if he could pretend that it didn’t happen. 

Faintly, he heard them talking to one side, and sure, they probably expected him to wake up soon, or not wake up at all. He could do that second one. He would really like to do that second one actually but... No. He was alive. Despite everything he was alive, and he needed to get up, keep going. 

He groaned softly, slowly sitting up, moving to stretch his arms as much as he could in the HEV suit, wings flaring out a bit to stretch and-

Wait. 

He opened his eyes, frowning slightly. He saw the others in front of him, watching him, but he didn’t pay much mind to their faces, instead tilting his head slowly, before flaring out his wings quickly. 

They hit the edges of where the box on the back was supposed to be, not able to go out to the sides all the way, not able to flare out completely, but god he could move them, he could feel the wind filtering between his feathers again. 

“Gordon?” He looked up at Coomer’s voice, grinning at him. 

“What... how did you guys...” Gordon sniffled, bringing his hand up to wipe at his eyes quickly. 

“You should’ve said something.” Bubby muttered, shaking his head slightly. “This entire time they’ve been locked up in there. We finally got the damn thing off after you passed out...” 

“It was like firecrackers going off when we stretched them out, Mr. Freeman.” Tommy said softly, and Gordon nodded a bit, struggling to his feet. 

“Yeah, well... I didn’t think you could get it off, so I didn’t think it was worth it to complain about it.” 

They stared at him quietly, as Gordon shifted, holding his right arm to his chest. 

“What?” 

“So, instead of complaining, you waited until we were all sleeping, had a breakdown, sobbed at us to make it stop hurting, and passed out?” Gordon stared at Tommy quietly for a moment. 

“Well when you put it like that-” 

“Not to mention-” 

“Oh no...” 

“You’ve complained about your arm this entire time, saying that hurt, but have apologized to us multiple times for not being able to fight, despite the fact that the two people who got the ambush started, Bubby don’t you say a god damn word, are here too, and you have apologized to them too!” Tommy looked around towards the group, eyes wide. “Is that insane to anyone else?” 

Gordon was silent, looking down at his hand. Idly he realized it wasn’t bleeding. Weird, but weirder has happened. 

“Fuck this.” He looked back up at Tommy, who pointed towards him. “We’re getting out of here if it kills me, cause you all need therapy.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They all need therapy bro-
> 
> Edit: IF I DO MORE IM MAKING IT A SERIES AND NOT TOUCHING THIS WORK THE WORDS IS 1234 I AM NOT LETTING THIS G O


End file.
